Agenda item

To receive a report on the Big Conversation campaign from the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board.

The Director: Communications and Engagement, Integrated Care System, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, provided the Committee with an update on the “Big Conversation” campaign that the ICS had launched. The goal of this campaign was to have a conversation with groups across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin from all backgrounds to understand their experiences of the health care system. It was highlighted that the campaign had a particular focus on seldom heard groups and that they worked in partnership with external partners and local authorities to speak to these typically hard to reach groups.  

The campaign yielded a total of 45,068 interactions that illustrated a variety of different views from across the county. The campaign illustrated a fairly positive response to healthcare in the county that ranged from primary care to acute and secondary care. There were some areas of improvement that were highlighted as a result of the campaign, including the number of appointments available in GP practices and the access to supplies within pharmacies. Many of these improvements had already been identified and work had been undertaken to address them, however it was acknowledged that some of these required technological improvements were not available yet. A number of immediate changes were also identified, including a need for better signposting of services and where people could go for support. 

The item concluded with an exploration of the next steps for the ICS following the conclusion of the campaign. The results from the Big Conversation would aid the joint forward plan set by the Integrated Care Board. This included a better network of communication to address the concerns of the public in relation to health care. The formal next steps were described as looking at formulating recommendations to  tackle health inequalities across the county and to plan for further health schemes to support local people.

Following the presentation, Members posed a number of questions to Officers from the ICS:

How would you address the National issue of not having enough staff to carry out both clinical and administrative duties across sectors like Primary Care?

It was a recognised issue across the whole country, and Members were informed that the purpose of the campaign was aimed at listening to public concerns on a local scale to enable Officers to provide localised support.

Did the campaign illustrate that earlier intervention was the key to some of the issues faced in healthcare locally?

Early intervention was proven to be able to support people and would be able to address major health and care concerns. This was recognised on both a local and national level that early intervention was key and that going forward there would be a focus on the community to support this. Members discussed that the pharmaceutical sector might be able to support with this.

How did you ensure that the older generation, which were not as technologically literate, would be able to access the correct services?

It was recognised that certain people, such as the older generations, would be uncomfortable with the increased use of technology being used and that there would be a system in place to support them. It was highlighted that the COVID-19 Pandemic had accelerated the introduction of new technologies in the healthcare system.

Was the data presented representative of the demographic population of the county?

The data presented was representative and captured the perspectives of seldom heard groups.

Was it true that some areas of healthcare like dentists were reluctant to be a part of the NHS because of the targets they were required to reach?

There were challenges faced in primary care and some that had an impact on some services such as dentistry. It was hoped that with the development of the primary care recovery plan that being part of the NHS could be more attractive.